Seeking Portlanders advice (Newport: condo, low crime, townhome)

[Waylon and Paula]

Hello everyone.. I am considering a big move from GA to OR and I have been reading a bit from this forum. I certainly see a fair share of both positive and negative posts on Portland. I think that any place can have its share of negative aspects to someone. Even a paradise can be too hot or bug ridden or too cold and desolate to the wrong person. We all have our preferences on locations. Mine is this, tell me if Portland or nearby is right for me: Seeking a beautiful environment with generally mild weather, plenty of activities of all natures ( arts, outdoor, kidstuff, etc ), a place that is open-minded to people of colorful and unique descriptions, a place of low crime, good schools, average living costs, and is safe for a young family to flourish. What do you think?

[tiffela74]

I think you'd like Portland, why dont you guys come out for a visit first? Take a peek about in person. Oftentimes, one persons idea of beautiful, mild, activites, etc. are one thing, and another will disagree....In my opinion, Portland, and most of Oregon, fits your description. theres a thread somewhere on here, more then one i believe, that lists different activities in Portland, and surrounding area. but of course, others will argue that its dull here because we dont have a Disneyland, nor a Seaworld (although we do have a pretty awesome aquarium in Newport, used to house Keiko, the whale from the Free Willy movies before he was set free)
Best of luck to you!
Tiff

[rye-rye]

Portland is a very quaint city nestled at the edge of the cascade mountains. Our city is definately designed around people, not the automobilie like so many American cities. The city is formed from a collection of very distinctive neighborhoods, each having a shopping district with shops, cafes and brew pubs. Downtown is like Portland's living room. There, we have pioneer square and the central downtown shopping district. We can wisk yourself around town or between districts via light rail or you can explore most of the city on foot. Personaly, I love dinking around town checking on the quirky little districts we have. There is definately a buzz in the air here. You know how when you go to a lot of southern cities, you usally ask yourself "where are all the people" or "where is the center of all the action"? Lets just say you will be pleasantly suprised when you come here.

[tiffela74]

What a lovely post Rye-Rye!
You just made me love Portland even more.
Tiff

[nancy thereader]

me, too

[lookingtorelocate]

Me, too. Wanting move to Portland is one my goals as well. I've been reading so much negative. It's so nice to read such a nice well written piece of information!!!

[aalverson]

I live in Portland and I concur with rye-rye. IMO, the requests made by the original poster are a definite match to Portland. Of course, when we are all of reasonable mind, we know that not every place is for everyone. It would be great if people could be more objective in their advice, but this is just a pipe dream I'm sure!

[gypsydoc]

Originally Posted by Waylon and Paula

Hello everyone.. I am considering a big move from GA to OR and I have been reading a bit from this forum. I certainly see a fair share of both positive and negative posts on Portland. I think that any place can have its share of negative aspects to someone. Even a paradise can be too hot or bug ridden or too cold and desolate to the wrong person. We all have our preferences on locations. Mine is this, tell me if Portland or nearby is right for me: Seeking a beautiful environment with generally mild weather, plenty of activities of all natures ( arts, outdoor, kidstuff, etc ), a place that is open-minded to people of colorful and unique descriptions, a place of low crime, good schools, average living costs, and is safe for a young family to flourish. What do you think?

I used to live in Atlanta, but made the move out here for several reasons. One was because I couldn't find country to just walk around in... I found it hard to access parks that weren't crowded (like Piedmont.. or even the Chatahoochee River area seemed to have lots of people crowded there). Driving to the mountains on the weekend... well, the cars stacked up for miles just trying to "get away" was ridiculous. I hope you do come for a visit, and then maybe fall in love with the place. The beauty is indescribable...

There are many kinds of terrain and microclimates within Oregon... If you don't like too much rain, it is possible to drive to a sunnier day. The people come from all over to enjoy the outdoors. When I visit other parts of the country, I notice that I miss seeing cars loaded with bikes, kayaks, skiis, camping gear, etc... on their way to the mountains, or coast (used to call it a beach, but learned that here, most people refer to it as the "coast".)

The one thing I do miss is being able to jump in tepid seawater for a relaxing swim.. That doesn't happen here...

You can check out PortlandMaps for info on crime stats, zoning, and other interesting information. Housing costs overall are higher than in Atlanta, but you don't have that eternal gridlock sprawl that you do there.
(You didn't say what part of GA you're from, and my experience is just with ATl, so if my description of GA isn't your experience, I don't mean to assume.) We have "The Wilammette Week" - as our weekly activities paper. I'm not sure what their website is, but I'm sure you can find it in an online version. Lots of live music here... arts are so prevalent, that I would say (I married an artist), that it is relatively challenging to get recognition in this town as an artist, and difficult to support oneself as an artist.

Average home prices are close to $300,000 BUT, they are softening... Some great homes can be had for $225,000 - $250,000 (depending on the area) and if you can handle townhome or condo living, the prices are even more affordable - I'm not sure what "average living costs" you're seeking, but that's my two cents. Hope you come and say "howdy"...

[Mt-7]

Originally Posted by gypsydoc

I used to live in Atlanta, but made the move out here for several reasons. One was because I couldn't find country to just walk around in... I found it hard to access parks that weren't crowded (like Piedmont.. or even the Chatahoochee River area seemed to have lots of people crowded there). Driving to the mountains on the weekend... well, the cars stacked up for miles just trying to "get away" was ridiculous. I hope you do come for a visit, and then maybe fall in love with the place. The beauty is indescribable...

There are many kinds of terrain and microclimates within Oregon... If you don't like too much rain, it is possible to drive to a sunnier day. The people come from all over to enjoy the outdoors. When I visit other parts of the country, I notice that I miss seeing cars loaded with bikes, kayaks, skiis, camping gear, etc... on their way to the mountains, or coast (used to call it a beach, but learned that here, most people refer to it as the "coast".)

The one thing I do miss is being able to jump in tepid seawater for a relaxing swim.. That doesn't happen here...

You can check out PortlandMaps for info on crime stats, zoning, and other interesting information. Housing costs overall are higher than in Atlanta, but you don't have that eternal gridlock sprawl that you do there.
(You didn't say what part of GA you're from, and my experience is just with ATl, so if my description of GA isn't your experience, I don't mean to assume.) We have "The Wilammette Week" - as our weekly activities paper. I'm not sure what their website is, but I'm sure you can find it in an online version. Lots of live music here... arts are so prevalent, that I would say (I married an artist), that it is relatively challenging to get recognition in this town as an artist, and difficult to support oneself as an artist.

Average home prices are close to $300,000 BUT, they are softening... Some great homes can be had for $225,000 - $250,000 (depending on the area) and if you can handle townhome or condo living, the prices are even more affordable - I'm not sure what "average living costs" you're seeking, but that's my two cents. Hope you come and say "howdy"...

Care to specifiy where the homes are at this price range? It might help the poster pinpoint and area of interest.

[Twinkletoes]

I'm from Atlanta too and would love to move to the Portland are in a a year or so. This is a very interesting thread. Thanks to all who provided info and "Hi" to all the Georgians!